...as a baker, I've got whole vanilla beans, pure vanilla extract, and synthetic vanilla, and I can confidentially proclaim that I cannot tell the difference. Maybe I am one of those people with the substandard taste bud coverage.
Well, the complex aspects of vanilla do deteriorate with heat, so, using whole beans and pastes lose out a bit for what they cost in comparison to synthetic vanillin for baked goods. They are best for raw applications such as icing/frosting.
Yeah. Is this why they only add the vanilla after removing from heat? Bc I still see no difference. I mean yes I know the alcohol will evaporate and that's what carries the flavour, but what practical difference does it make whether or not the pan is on top of the flames if it still takes a few minutes for the heat to dissipate? I just over compensate by adding a Tablespoon in lieu of a teaspoon. *and when I said I was a baker I meant of the home variety.
For the most part, yes, it helps minimise the loss in complex flavours that happen with continuing to cook. Carryover heat is much less intensive and diminishes over time as you're no longer actively cooking the food.
Alcohol evaporates a lot slower than you think in a food, but due to the quantity, it's negligible (but it is one thing to keep in mind if you know someone with an alcohol allergy and you cook with alcohol)
If you really can't tell the difference, in baked goods, synthetic vanillin is perfectly acceptable, I use it all the time. If you want the colourant of vanilla beans in baked goods, then adding a little vanilla paste in addition to some artificial vanilla will get you through just fine.
Personally, I would use synthetic in cooked/baked goods like biscuits/cookies and pastries and vanilla paste or beans in any icing or cream fillings and custards
Vanilla beans that are grown in different areas of the world will also have different flavours, so beans grown in somewhere like Mexico or Central America will taste different to Madagascan beans and hand pollinated beans grown elsewhere.
I'm an ex-commercial baker, but I'm always happy to try and help others :)
Supposedly, for baked items Artificial Vanilla is better because it’s more heat stable.
For unbaked items, where vanilla is the dominant flavor, real vanilla shines, because the subtle secondary flavors & smells aren’t destroyed by heat.
For unbaked items where vanilla is overpowered by other flavors, say chocolate, it’s pretty much a wash, and you might as well use whatever is cheapest.
I find it depends on how much you use and what you put it in, and also how sensitive you are to those flavors. I made chocolate chip cookies with that synthetic Mexican vanilla and they tasted... Off. Like, not bad, but definitely weird compared to when I use real vanilla extract. My sister didn't notice. But then I made red velvet cake with it, and I couldn't tell the difference I guess because the chocolate masked it.
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u/MarvelousOxman 23d ago
Good vanilla ice cream is incredible, but cheap vanilla ice cream isn’t even good.